[quote author=Ryan link=topic=42304.msg1199892#msg1199892 date=1287399823]
Awesome to note that in Shelvey we have someone to replace the Aquilani of '09, the Insua of '08, the Mark Gonzalez of '07, and the Sinama Pongolle of '06... I.e. 'should be in the team ahead of X, creative attacking talent stunted by our overly cautious manager yaddie yaddie yaaa'.
Then he plays and he's fucking muck.
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There's little or no comparison between the players you've listed and Shelvey. Aquilani was a sicknote and completely unsuited for this league, Insua was fat, shit and slow from day 1 and anyone with half a clue about football could see this, Gonzalez came from obscurity and was hardly seen as a saviour. The only decent comparison is Pongolle, who like Shelvey, was a highly touted youngster and IMO wasn't that bad in a red shirt anyway.
Shelvey might not turn out to be a world beater. But I'd happy to take anyone on a bet that he won't be 'muck'. The signs shown so far just don't add up to that:
i) Highly touted English youngster (you know like Milner, Lennon, Rodwell, Bale - the kind we always complained of never snapping up)
ii) Recommended by Dalglish
iii) England u-19 captain
iv) 40+ first team games for Charlton at the age 17
v) Very impressive pre-season showings including a MOTM performance against a full strength Bundesliga side in a game that included the likes of Gerrard and Cole
vi) Strong, well-built fucker with a smart technique and nice passing (and before you ask how many times I've seen him play, I've seen him in some 4 games already and you don't need to see a player 100 times before you can judge technique and passing)
He might not be the next Gerrard but barring injury, it's very difficult to see him being anything other than a solid Premiership midfielder (at the very least). And when his only competition in midfield includes two of the worst players to have for Liverpool in recent memory, you can understand why people are perplexed that the manager doesn't play him.
